HANOI/PHNOM PENH (Bernama): A quadrilateral cooperation, involving Vietnam, China, Laos and Myanmar, will conduct a massive three-month anti-drug campaign aimed at curbing cross-border trafficking in South-East Asia.
The move comes amid growing concerns over the rising trafficking of narcotics and chemical precursors and drug production, which continue to challenge regional efforts to secure borders and cities.
The regional cooperation comes weeks after Vietnamese authorities seized 50 tonnes of caffeine believed to be used for the production of synthetic drugs in May.
The transnational syndicate is allegedly spearheaded by a Vietnamese pharmacy professor, according to media reports.
"The four neighbouring countries which share borders and hold important strategic positions in the region are facing direct impacts from increasingly complex drug crime activities,” said Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Public Security Senior Lt Gen Nguyen Van Long, reported by Vietnam News on Tuesday.
The operation was announced in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, on June 2.
The campaign will run from June 15 to September 15 across border provinces and cities in the four participating countries.
Despite regional and international efforts, including support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the drug scourge has heightened in Southeast Asia, threatening the security and safety of economies.
Vietnam handled 21,998 drug-related cases and arrested 44,354 suspects last year, and seized heroin, cannabis and synthetic drugs from offenders, according to Vietnam News.
Last year, the UNODC reported that 236 tonnes of methamphetamine were seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2024, a 24 per cent increase compared to 2023.
"The 236 tonnes represent only the amount seized; much more methamphetamine is actually reaching the market,” said UNODC Acting Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Benedikt Hofmann.
"While these seizures reflect, in part, successful law enforcement efforts, we are clearly seeing unprecedented levels of methamphetamine production and trafficking from the Golden Triangle, in particular Shan State,” Hofmann said in May last year, according to the agency’s website.
The Golden Triangle borders the mountainous region of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar. -- Bernama
